ORM = how much info do you put on your website? do you post the prices?

Hi.....I have seen both "strategies" used..

>> put it all out on website, show "demos" of the "review funnel" type site, give exact prices, and discount for 6 or 12 mo contract etc


>> no demo, not clear or maybe not even describe what is really offered, no mention of prices - "mystery" "custom solution"

I want to work locally mostly = which method works for you? Have you tried both - can you compare the two?

thanks

My prices are based on the difficulty and work necessary to complete the job. It would be a huge turnoff to say, "Price range from $2500-50,000".

I don't have any prices listed because I like to talk to the clients, see what they expect, let them know how I work and have a conversation so everyone is on the same page. I don't like to waste anyone's time so I try to get down to business quickly with them so if it's not a good fit, they can continue looking for an ORM provider.

freebiequeen1999 said:

Hi.....I have seen both "strategies" used..
>> put it all out on website, show "demos" of the "review funnel" type site, give exact prices, and discount for 6 or 12 mo contract etc
>> no demo, not clear or maybe not even describe what is really offered, no mention of prices - "mystery" "custom solution"
I want to work locally mostly = which method works for you? Have you tried both - can you compare the two?

Click to expand...

Been thinking on a similar question. I, too, see the same thing locally.

I don't know that the overall scope of work (beyond the "funnel") is SO custom that showing pricing info is more of a problem than not.

Seems that success (right now) can be had no matter the approach, but are they all apples to apples? Here is some food for thought...

First, it depends on your business model and positioning. Beyond the "funnel", what other services are you offering?... Are you doing all custom work, or will it mostly be "packages", perhaps tweaking off of those for any custom work? Who are you targeting and are they price sensitive?

Second, seems you have checked locally, but who seems to be the "most successful" there (of those that you will most be competing against - i.e. similar service offerings, similar target market)? If you are essentially selling packages, price ranges will not be any secret to those who find you online, as they are likely to be shopping around already and see what your competitors are offering. What differentiates you from them to make them comfortable contacting you if you don't show any prices?

Third, what is your marketing / growth strategy? Are you primarily relying on your website to bring in clients? For example, word of mouth may be less price sensitive vs quality work, allowing you for pricing in room for referral discounts. Also, you might have some advertized, priced lowball "trial" offers that are limited in scope, just to bring someone in the door.

There is much more to discuss on these points and beyond. The above might get one started on a broad strategy they can work towards, or think about as they adjust.

What I see locally, is that the "larger" competitors here seem to offer a mix of both, priced package and custom. But it is really all over the map, including, incredibly, the poor quality of the websites many have (seems like a deal breaker to me, if I were shopping!).

It is a wide open and fragmented market right now. There is more than one way to be a success. I suspect many here just pick(ed) one way to go and see if it works, then adjust, in the spirit of "just do it".

IMHO, would not show/demo online the solution you propose (why give your competitors an opportunity to copy, if they are not offering it now, or are doing a poorer version of?), nor would I use the term "funnel" (negative connotations).

BHopkins said:

My prices are based on the difficulty and work necessary to complete the job. It would be a huge turnoff to say, "Price range from $2500-50,000".

I don't have any prices listed because I like to talk to the clients, see what they expect, let them know how I work and have a conversation so everyone is on the same page. I don't like to waste anyone's time so I try to get down to business quickly with them so if it's not a good fit, they can continue looking for an ORM provider.

Click to expand...

This is exactly how I approach ORM and audit clients; some are going to be very easy and thus a $X,XXX/mo contract is sufficient, but when there's a ton of work requiring expertise and labor then it gets in the $XX,XXX/mo range. For those that say I'm too much, I happy introduce to friends that do ORM on the side and are okay doing the work for less.

The most critical method that works (because we all get asked) is adaptability; something that worked in dropping URLs yesterday probably won't work in a couple months, so a firm's ability to figure out a new way is what keeps us collecting contracts.

No prices, no demo. Meet the client, convince him, cash. Simple.

Am at loggerheads with a friend who seems to think putting a price would scare off people. Frankly, it's a balance between putting the price and blatantly avoiding it. I feel it's best to talk to clients to get a feel of what they're comfortable with, then they'll also know what pricing's involved and what the work's like.

By adding a price to your website, you not only make yourself accountable to it (no "wiggle" room) - but you also destroy any chance of raising the price for wealthier clients.

Plus, you also immediately lose those clients that need to be persuaded anyway.

I've tried both methods over the years & has way more success without adding pricing to my website.

On our side... aside from information about our company, we also show our packages, list of services and their respective fixed prices.

We refer to price ranges, but qualify that more difficult projects can cost much more.

Owner is whether to post pricing information on their website....

No, never. Pricing ranges wildly. I've had $250 quick ad-hoc jobs, I've had six-figure full assaults.

My first step when meeting a potential client is to ask their budget. If they want to dominate a term and their budget is $500, I go NC right then and their, as they not only have no clue what will be in their SEO analysis, and they likely don't have the budget for my services.